Arrangement for counter-balancing the working rollers of a roller stand



Aug. 27, 1968 E. H. BARTEN 3,

ARRANGEMENT FOR COUNTER-BALANCING THE WORKING ROLLERS OF A ROLLER STANDFiled July 23, 1964 United States Patent ARRANGEMENT FORCOUNTER-BALANCING THE WORKING ROLLERS OF A ROLLERSTAND Ernst HeinrichBarteu, Buschhutten, Germany, assignor to Achenbach Sohne G.m.b.H.,Buschhutten, Germany Filed July 23, 1964, Ser. No. 384,691 Claimspriority, application Germany, July 29, 1963,

A 43,699 2 Claims. (Cl. 72-243) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE" The presentinvention concerns a roller stand comprising two working rollers and twobacking rollers therefor. Two pairs of bearing blocks for the workingrollers are respectively slidably supported by two supporting means forthe backing rollers, The arrangement furthermore comprises two pairs ofdouble acting fluid operable cylinder piston means respectivelyoperatively connected to said two pairs of bearing blocks and operablerespectively to positively adjust said pairs of bearing blocksindependently of each other toward and away from each other while eachof said double acting cylinder piston means comprises a single cylinderonly which is movable in opposite directions with regard to therespective adjacent supporting means and also comprises a single doubleacting piston stationarily arranged with regard to the respec tiveadjacent supporting means and extending into the cylinder pertainingthereto.

This invention relates to an arrangement for counterbalancing theworking rollers of a roller stand, particularly a roller stand such as afour-high stand having backing up rollers on opposite sides of theworking rollers. More particularly still, the present invention relatesto a special arrangement of the balancing cylinders pertaining to theworking rollers.

Roller frames of the general type the present invention is concernedwith are known which include devices for lifting and lowering the upperrollers and in which the fluid opreated balancing pistons act ontiltable thrust members arranged in window-like openings of a bearingblock.

The arrangement includes thrust elements operated by the pistons andhaving nose pieces, or the like, in engagement with recesses formed inthe bearing blocks for the working rollers for exerting forces on thebearing blocks.

In a similar arrangement, the bearing blocks for the working rollers areconnected to tiltable levers against which bear piston rods of pistonsin the bearing blocks for the back up rollers.

The various devices known in the prior art all provide that the workingrollers have their ends pressed against each other so that only aconcave bend of the rollers with respect to each other is obtained. Sucha concave bend requires two additional cylinders and pistons for each ofthe four bearing blocks of the two working rollers.

If, on the other hand, it is desired additionally to impart upon theworking rollers a bend of the rollers which is convex with regard to theroller gap, it is necessary to provide two additional cylinders andpiston systems for each bearing block.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that for the purpose of obtainingselective bending of the rollers to form either a convex or concave gap,a total of 12 cylinders and pistons and attendant hydraulic lines andcontrol devices, are required.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide devices for counter-bal- "ice ancing the workingrollers of a four-high roller stand in which the number of cylinders andpistons required for effecting selective bending of the working rollersis substantially reduced.

It is also an object to provide means for bending the working rollers ineither direction with a minimum number of piston-cylinder systems.

'Another object of. the present invention is the provision of anarrangement of the nature referred to which will-be extremely simple andcompact in construction, but nevertheless, highly efficient andreliable.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more clearly apparent upon reference to the followingspecification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a'vertical sectional view somewhat schematic showing afour-high roller stand constructed according to this invention andshowing the control piston and cylinder arrangements at one end of thestand;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view showing the working rollers bent so as tobe concave toward each other; and

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 2 showing the rollers bentso as to be convex toward each other. I

In general, the present invention is based on a device for balancing theworking rollers of a four-high stand with balancing cylinders arrangedin the lateral portions or legs of the bearing blocks for the back uprollers.

According to the present invention, the cylinder-piston devices areprovided. with extensions which are effective in both directions ofadjustment of the bearing blocks for the working rollers and which, in amanner known per se engage recesses in the said bearing blocks. Both endfaces ofthe pistons are adapted for receiving fluid pressure and thepistons are, therefore, double acting.

- Referring to the drawings, somewhat more in detail, there is showntherein a housing H of a four-high roller stand. Back up rollers 1 and 2are journalled in bearing blocks 3 and 4 in a known manner. Moveablymounted in rectangular recesses in bearing blocks 3 and 4 are bearingblocks 5 and 6 for the working rollers 7 and 8.

Blocks 3 and 4 have their opposite side faces provided with recesses 9for receiving projections on the piston rods of the actuating cylinderpiston systems.

The lateral leg portions 10 on bearing blocks 3 and 4 have bores formedtherein and mounted in the bores are guiding piston sleeves or bushings11 in which pistons 12 are reciprocably mounted. Each piston 12 has alateral projection 13 engaging one of the aforementioned recesses 9.Each piston 12 is hollow and has an inner chamber in which isstationarily arranged a piston 15 that divides the said chamber into thetwo fluid pressure chamber sections I and II. These pressure chamberscommunicate through the piston rod 16 connected to piston 15 withrespective fluid inlet and outlet conduits 17 and 18. Piston rod 16 isfixed to the pertaining one of bearing blocks 3, 4 to hold piston 15stationary.

It will be apparent that piston 12 is relatively long so that tilting ofthe piston in its guiding cylinder sleeve 11 is substantially prevented.Chamber I, II, in being located in piston 12, does not occupy spacewhich is required for the bearing blocks forming a part of thestructure.

When sections II are subjected to fluid under pressure while sections Iare exhausted, pistons 12 are urged toward each other, and this willresult in a concave bending of the working rollers 7 and 8 asillustrated in FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 2 the arrows 12 show the direction and location of the thrustof pistons 12 on the supporting shaft ends 7' and 8 of the rollers 7 and8.

When, on the other hand, if pressure fluid is conveyed into sections I,while sections II are exhausted, pistons 12 are urged away from eachother and this concave bending of therollers 7 and 8, as illustrated inFIGURE 3 and wherein the arrows 12" indicate the direction and locationof the thrust of pistons 12 on the supporting shaft ends 7' and 8' ofworking ro1lers.7 and 8.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that each cylindenpistonsystem permits an adjusting movement of the pertaining bearing block forthe working rollers in respectively opposite directions soras to controlthe formation of the roller gap between the working rollers.,For thispurpose each bearing block, of which there is one at each end of eachworking roller, requires two cylinders and pistons only, whereby thetotal number of pistons and cylinders is reduced by at least a thirdover heretofore known arrangements with an accompanying reduction in theconduits and control valves requires, and the like.

It will be understood that the invention has for its purpose the bendingof the working rollers to produce a predetermined shape in cross sectionof material passed between the rollers. This predetermined shape mightbe perfectly uniform in thickness across its entire width, and in whichcase, the bending of the rollers is done to offset the counter bendingthereof that occurs when work is passed between the rollers.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modificationin order to adapt it to difierent usages and conditions; andaccordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within thisinvention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:'

1. A roller stand which comprises in combination:

a frame, a pair of working rollers arranged within said frame anddefining a bight with each other for receiving material to be rolledbetween said working rollers, a pair of backing rollers respectivelyengaging said working rollers, the axes of rotation of all of saidrollers being substantially parallel to each other while being locatedsubstantially in one and the same plane, two pairs of supporting meanssupported by said frame in spaced relationship to each other andrespectively rotatably supporting the ends of said backing "'rolle'is,two pairs of bearing'block's respectively slidably supported by saidtwopairs of supporting means and respectively rotatably supporting theends of said working rollers, two pairs of double acting fluid operablecylinder piston means respectively operatively connected to said twopairs of bearing blocks and operable respectively to positivelyadjustsaid airs of bearing blocks independently of'- each other-relativetoward andaway from each other, each of said double: acting cylinder "piston'm'eans comprising a single cylinder only connected to one end of arespective bearing block and which is reciprocably mounted inarespectiveadjacent supporting means and is moveable in opposite directions withregard to the respective adjacent supporting means and also comprising asingle. double acting piston ,stationarily arranged with regard to therespective adjacent su porting means and extending into thecylinderpertaining thereto, and means respectively associated with saidpairs of fluid operable cylinder piston means for supplying pressurefluid selectively mom or the other side of the respective pistonpertaining thereto.

I. A roller stand according to claim 1, in which each of said cylindersand the respective bearing blocks pertaining thereto positivelyinterengage each other by protrusions and recesses.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,935,091 11/1933 Iversen 72-2433,242,711 3/1966 Fox 72-243 1,898,007 2/1933 Ewart 72-243 FOREIGN"PATENTS 888,816 9/1943 France.

CHARLES w. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. K. C. DECKER, Assistant Examiner.

